[[quoteright:260:[[ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batmanbaby2_49.jpg]]]][[caption-width-right:260:Not even Batman, who knows every other skill in the world, can hold a baby without a woman's help.]]

The character was raised around a bunch of rough guys (or just one) and usually is thus [[NoSocialSkills dysfunctional]] in normal society, especially around women. The trope may use an exaggerated, [[TestosteronePoisoning Testosterone Overdosed]] version of masculinity.

This situation can be seen as overall positive for a male character as it can only make him "manlier". However, a girl in this situation often becomes OneOfTheBoys or TheLadette and, in some cases, may never be seen as a ''true'' woman for lacking the mandatory AcceptableFeminineGoalsAndTraits. In milder cases, IHaveBrothers may be invoked instead.

Often comes with the UnfortunateImplications that, [[CloserToEarth in the absence of women]], men cannot competently raise children, especially babies and little girls. Can set up a DoubleStandard for RealLife {{House Husband}}s and single dads, not to mention gay people. Compare and contrast to MaternallyChallenged, which focuses on female incompetence when it comes to raising children.

Sadly, this has a bit of TruthInTelevision. Several studies indicate that the absence of one of the parents has an unseen, but strong negative effect in the child's psyche that takes '''a lot''' of effort to overcome (though it can be done, and there are plenty of first-hand witnesses to that). Of course, discrimination and mockery are not the solution, and occasionally this trope can refer to that. Besides, this is true for single parents in general, not just men. Single moms are just as likely as single dads to screw up raising a child in real life.

----!!Examples:[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]* Goku in ''Manga/DragonBall'' was raised by his adoptive grandfather Son Gohan (up until Goku looked at the full moon, went Oozaru and stepped on him in his rampage), and much of the comedy of the early parts of the series was due to his complete innocence in regards to girls, to the point of initially not even knowing the difference between boys and girls. That last part might have less to do with his Grandfather being his only parental figure and more with being his only human contact up to that point in his life.* Guts from ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' is a ByronicHero who was raised mainly by his abusive stepfather which makes him generally reluctant to form bonds with people. Also, [[spoiler:he doesn't seem that good with his own CreepyChild of a son either, at least at first given that the kid was literally tainted by evil. His lover [[CuteMute Casca]] on the other hand...]]* Sanji of ''Manga/OnePiece'' was raised primarily by men who taught him to cook and fight. Which makes his obsession with women a bit more... understandable.* ''Manga/SamuraiHaremAsuNoYoichi'': The eponymous character spent his entire life on a mountain with his dad and no other human contact so far as we know. He goes around town and to school in samurai clothes complete with a wooden sword, but he's pretty decent at talking to women, notwithstanding the two elder sisters' opinions or his misfortune at being the protagonist of a HaremComedy.* Prussia from ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'', according to Hungary; possibly Hungary herself, which would explain her {{Bokukko}} traits. [[CoolBigSis Belgium]], the other token {{Bokukko}} is also hinted to be this, stating herself that she's surrounded by men.* Averted by Trowa Barton of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing''. He was taken in by a group of mercenaries after being lost for several years, with his only female contact apparently coming at age 10 or so. When he shows up in the anime at age 15 (or so), he's [[TheStoic quiet]] but he can still function in everyday life without any problem.** Of course, since this is ''Gundam Wing'' we're talking about, it should go without saying that [[YaoiFangirl some segments of the fandom]] insist [[RapeAsDrama he was raped]], mainly because it provides good {{Wangst}}.* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': Ranma grew up with only his amoral and martial arts-obsessed father for guidance. It shows.* Allen Schezar of ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' is an interesting example. While we don't know exactly who "raised" him, his mother died and his sister disappeared when he was very young, and so he has probably only had male influences for most of his life (''not'' his father, though). He is an exceptionally moral person, but he tends to put women on pedestals, and his over-protectiveness towards Hitomi verges on stifling. He's a notable example of how someone can be a really good person and a really ''bad'' boyfriend, and a lack of strong women in his life during his youth is probably the cause.* Motoko from ''Manga/{{Change 123}}'' was raised by her three dads after her mother died. Although they are explicitly mentioned to be kind and caring, they insisted on training her in their respective combat mastery (karate, jujitsu, and swords/firearms). The resultant TrainingFromHell caused her to develop three additional personalities just to cope. Motoko (the "main" personality) is fairly feminine and well-adjusted, while the other three range from tomboyish to borderline AxCrazy.* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Minato used this as his excuse for why he had to sacrifice himself to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto instead of allowing Kushina to take the bijuu with her as she died, and thus being able to stay alive to raise his son. Kushina promptly disagreed and both of them wound up dying to protect their son.* Kyo from ''Manga/GirlGotGame'' was raised by her basketball-obsessed father, resulting in her GenderBlenderName, tomboyish ways, and (much to her chagrin)[[FeminineWomenCanCook complete lack of cooking skills]], in addition to her SweetPollyOliver disguise. Her attempts to fem-up for Chiharu after he learns her secret are both sad and hilarious.* Misaki from ''Manga/IceRevolution'' has a Karate obsessed father and three older brothers. No wonder she's become such a tomboy.* Ryo in ''Manga/{{Otomen}}'' is raised by a police officer and martial arts expert father who doesn't like girly things a lot leading to her becoming a tomboy, spicy food loving, GenkiGirl as a counterpoint to the lead character Asuka who is male (and a kendo expert) but very feminine. [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy Naturally they are an item]]. Ryo's grandfather who also helped raise her is very similarly masculine but actually has a secret girly streak just like her boyfriend.* ''Manga/{{Yotsuba}}'' She's raised by a single dad and her other contacts with adults have previously been only her dad's male friends... who are [[ManChild absolutely nuts]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* Tulip from ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'', portrayed as a positive thing.* ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} was raised at a military base, back when it was frowned upon to have women enlist.* ThrudTheBarbarian was raised by berserkers. They taught him the four essential skills: fighting, fighting, drinking beer and fighting.* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Hope Summers, who was raised by ComicBook/{{Cable}}, TropeCodifier for NinetiesAntiHero.[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]* In [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7041333/1/Valentine-s-Day Valentine's Day]] by a quirk of fate, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Vincent Valentine]] was born female. Her mother wanted nothing to do with her, so it fell mostly to her father to raise her. He had a tendency to forget she was really his daughter and was raised by a widower himself so treated her as his son. Downplayed as, though Vincent has a tendency to be more masculine in nature, she's perfectly capable of acting like a girl and even later [[spoiler: has a boyfriend]]. Most of her problems actually come from being a Turk and [[MadScientist Hojo]].* ''Homestuck'' fanworks frequently have Karkat Vantas be raised by the Midnight Crew, a group of gangsters albeit [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain fairly incompetent gangsters]]. ''Cities In Dust'' and ''Troll Cops'' are notable examples. This is less of a problem than many examples; while [[{{Jerkass}} Spades Slick]] and [[AmbiguousDisorder Clubs Deuce]] aren't fit to raise children, the more level-headed [[OnlySaneMan Diamonds Droog]] and Hearts Boxcars are able to serve as decent parental figures.* Most ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' fanworks revolving around Guts and Casca raising their son involve Guts being rather uncouth when dealing with babies and small children due to his rough, militaristic upbringing ([[StayInTheKitchen and sometimes traditional gender roles]]). However, Guts is often shown to be genuinely committed to raising his child with affection because [[GenerationXerox he does not want to become]] [[AbusiveParents the sort of father that Gambino was to him.]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]* ''Film/ThreeMenAndABaby.''* Very nicely subverted by ''Film/LaCageAuxFolles'' and its American remake ''Film/TheBirdcage''. A man who was raised by [[HasTwoMommies a gay couple]] (he was the result of a heterosexual fling by one of them, and his mother was never involved in his life) becomes a perfectly normal adult, whose ultimate breakthrough at the end comes from telling his fiance's family the truth about it, without any shame.* Subverted in ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'', in which Creator/BruceWillis believes daughter Creator/LivTyler to have been Raised By Dudes, which she truthfully has. But in spite of this fact, and no thanks to him, she's a perfectly well-rounded and psychologically sound woman.* In ''Film/{{Twins}}'', Arnold's character is raised by scientists and his biological parents ([[DesignerBabies all seven of them]]) are excluded. When he ventures into normal society, he is very much a FishOutOfWater.* ''Film/SydneyWhite'' has the titular character growing up with her dad and his construction worker friends. She is a well-adjusted girl, if only a bit confused when it comes to interacting with the preppy, soronity girls.* The reason why Harry Mason was turned into Rose for the ''Film/SilentHill'' movie, according to the director, is because his loving and nurturing of his daughter was determined to be 'feminine' by the director.* In ''Film/MyGirl'', Vada was raised by her widower father, and since there were some topics Dad was either himself less than fully informed about or too squeamish to discuss with his daughter, her first period comes as a frightening shock to her. Fortunately for her, a female employee of her father (who later becomes her stepmother) is available, and quickly steps in to explain to Vada what's going on and reassure her that she's OK.* Altaira of ''Film/ForbiddenPlanet'' is very well adjusted with an extremely healthy libido despite being raised by a mad scientist father and Robby the Robot.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy Alk and Ilke]] in ''Literature/{{Phenomena}}'' was raised by [[WizardClassic Sha-ra]] and [[PettingZooPeople Arol]].* Franchise/DocSavage was raised by his father and a handpicked team of male tutors. It is mentioned in the novels as being why he has a poor understanding of the psychology of the female mind; one of his few weak spots.* Downplayed in Robert B. Parker's ''Literature/{{Spenser}}'' series. Spenser was raised by his father and his uncles, all of whom were tough as nails. Spenser turned out to be a CulturedBadass hero. However, while he's an excellent chef, very well-read, and gruffly charming around women, his rigid ideas about masculinity cause him problems in his relationship with Susan, and elsewhere. (E.g., it's why Rachel Wallace initially fires him -- he's incapable of passive resistance.)* Literature/SydneyWhite was this, as her mother died when she was young and she grew up with her father and his construction buddies.* The ''SuviKinos'' series tells the story of a girl raised by her five uncles... Hulking 7 feet uncles with doctoral theses and the social graces of a Neanderthal. The type of men who panic when the baby cries for the third hour straight, and the childcare book has no keyword for "alarm, audio".* Delved into in detail in ''Literature/EthanOfAthos'', where Ethan is from a planet where everyone is raised by manly men because women are forbidden.* ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'': Men in this world are seen as the softer, gentler sex and perform the nurturing aspects of childrearing. But because they are rare and fragile, prone to heart failure and other inherited diseases, it's not uncommon for them to die and leave their children to their wives. In the absence of new husbands or [[PromotedToParent sons old enough to take up the work]], wives step in; and children conceived via [[SexSlave the cribs]] never know their fathers at all. Children raised solely by women are socially functional and competent, but they [[LackOfEmpathy don't]] have the same reactions of shock and horror if they encounter a man who was raped and murdered.* In the ''Literature/AliceSeries'', Alice's mother died when she was a child, and she lived with her dad and older brother. For a time, she was obsessed with finding a female role model to teach her about girly things.* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''' titular Harry Dresden has almost no maternal figures in his life. His mother died shortly after he was born. He was raised in succession by his [[GoodParents father]], [[EvilMentor Justin DuMorne]] and Ebenezar [=McCoy=]. The exception is his [[TheFairFolk fairy godmother]] who rightfully terrifies him. Some of his character quirks such as his [[GoodOldWays old-fashioned chivalry]] can be partially attributed to this upbringing. He lacks the typical awkwardness around women due to meeting his FirstLove rather young in a fellow student of [[EvilSorceror DuMorne]].* Because her mother is a highly successful and very busy scientist, Scarlet of ''Literature/TheUltraViolets'' was raised by her father and three brothers. Unsurprisingly, she's quite the rowdy tomboy.* In ''Literature/DragonBlood'', there is Tisala, whose mother is never mentioned, and is, presumably, dead. Tisala is quite close to her father. She is a badass warrior and spy, gets along fine with women, and can befriend men, but is not sure what to do when she finds a man attractive, as the prospect of being romanced by her seems to ''scare'' men. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]* Vina claims to be this at first in the ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' pilot "The Cage", acting awkward and unfeminine around Captain Pike because she was raised by a group of old male scientists.** Played straight in another episode of the original series where a young man was raised on a mining planet and only ever knew men. His first contact with a girl doesn't end so well.* Al (short for Alicia) in ''Series/StepByStep'' features this in the Lamberts' backstory. Growing up in a house with a dad who owns a construction company, a JerkJock older brother, and a fart humor loving younger one, she became very much a tomboy who had trouble getting along with girls her age and got into fights fairly often. On the inverted side, Mark was the youngest son of the Foster family, with a beautician mother and two older sisters who are TheDitz and a [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan snarking]] GranolaGirl, respectively. He has problems mustering up ''any'' kind of masculinity, being a HollywoodNerd who cringes from any kind of conflict (and is, not coincidentally, routinely beaten up by Al). Many episodes from the first few seasons deal with Al and Mark trying to adapt to having an opposite-sex role model, with varying degrees of success.* Rachel from ''Series/{{Glee}}'' has two gay dads. She's socially stilted, being very... focused on singing, and having a viewpoint revolving around Musical Theatre and any tropes involved with that. Admittedly her biological mother has a lot of the same qualities, so some of it's an ItRunsInTheFamily issue.* Robin in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' was primarily raised by her father, who was also in denial about her sex and [[RaisedAsTheOppositeGender raised her as a boy]]. On finding her kissing a boy he said "IHaveNoSon" in shock. She's TheLadette, but socially capable.* Alexis in ''Series/{{Castle}}'' was raised primarily by her single father who has sole custody. She is emotionally stable and intelligent. Though this is partially averted by the fact that her grandmother was also around for the majority of her life. * Tess Foster in ''Series/LifeWithBoys''. It is one of the reasons she has trouble balancing her competing tomboy and girly-girl natures.* Jo from ''Series/{{Eureka}}'', since she grew up without a mother. It's not treated as a character flaw, but used to explain [[GunNut certain]] [[TomboyishName aspects]] [[ActionGirl of]] [[RealWomenDontWearDresses her]] [[TheLadette personality]].* Inverted with Derek Morgan on ''Series/CriminalMinds''. His father died when he was young and all of the other relatives who appear on the show are female. As a result, he is exceptionally caring of the women in his life and very good with kids.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]* In Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/TheWintersTale'', the [[RagsToRoyalty lost]] [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses Princess Perdita]] is abandoned as a baby and raised by a Shepherd and his son. Averted in that she seems to have grown up to be a perfectly well-adjusted young woman.* Marie from Gaetano Donizetti's ''La fille du régiment'' (Daughter of the Regiment) is an orphan girl raised by the soldiers of a Tyrolean regiment. [[spoiler: Marie is actually [[RagsToRiches a long-lost membress of a noble family]], and the plot truly kicks off when her biological family reclaims her. The story finishes with Marie about to get in an ArrangedMarriage... but her "dads" and her boyfriend Antonio go WeddingSmashers mode.]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* When [[VideoGame/FatalFury Rock Howard]] came into the custody of [[TheHero Terry Bogard]] after the death of his father [[BigBad Geese]] at the former's hand, he spent the next ten years or so pretty much isolated from women. This doesn't factor much into his appearance in ''Garou: Mark of the Wolves'', but in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters: [[AlternateContinuity Maximum Impact]]'', he's hit full force by his inability to be anything other than awkward around members of the fairer sex. He's unwillingly shoehorned into being the object of desire in a LoveTriangle between [[ElegantGothicLolita Ninon Beart]] [[BettyAndVeronica and]] [[PirateGirl B. Jenet]]. Poor Rock is absolutely flabbergasted when both of these babes make passes at him. It would seem that of ''[[UpdatedRerelease Regulation A]]'', the only female that he acts "normal" around is Blue Mary, but considering [[ShipTease her relationship with Terry]], it's plausible that he sees her as an [[CoolBigSis older sister]] or even as a second mother.* Though her backstory is only given in the shortest form on account of her minor role in the game, Ashei of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' was raised in this trope. She was raised by a single father, who was a knight, and while he acknowledged that she was his daughter he basically treated her like a son, raising her to be a soldier. Ashei herself comments on it only to say that if she seems a bit rough around the edges, this is why.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* ''SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperforceGo'': Nova's tomboyish personality may have come from being surrounded by male monkeys all her life and not being able to socialize before the Monkey Translator was built.* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' never knew their mothers, being raised by Rusty and (thankfully) Brock. Rusty himself was raised by his Doc Savage-like father, in a life similar to WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest (and none of them turned out that well, including Jonny.)[[/folder]]----